John cix



(No Model.)

J. C LOUGH. 'WOOL WASHING MACHINE.

Patented Jan. 3,1882,

N. PETERS. Photo-mhegmpher, wamingwn. D4 c.

l UNITED STATES fPATi-nwrA Genion...

JonN cLoUen, on` HAINCLIFFE, NEAR knlennnv, ooUN'rv or reak,

ENGLAND. v

WOOL-WASHING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 251,833, dated January 3, 18252.

Application led August 4,1881. (Nomodcl.) PatentedinEnglandJune15,1881.

rIo all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOHN OLOUGH, a subject of the Queen ofGreatBritain and Ireland, and resid ing atHaincliffe, near Keighley, in the county of York, England, have invented certain Improvements in thc Vashing of Wool and other Fibers and-in the apparatus therefor, (for which I have obtained provisional protection in Great Britain, No. 2,603, dated June l5, 1881,) of which the following is a specification. t

The object of this my invention is to pass the ber forward through the washing-bowls without the intervention of forks, hitherto in use for such purpose; audit consists in the arrangement of a series of reciprocating bars having spikes projecting forward in the direction in which the ber is to travel and atan acute angle toward the sides ot' each bar. These bars form a false bottom Within a trough which is within the ordinary washing-bowl, and are arranged sohatwhileonehalfofthebars aremov-l ing-say in a forward directiontoward the squeezing-rollers the other half, each of which isplaced alternately with one or otherof the forward bars, are moving in the opposite direction. Thus by this reciprocating 4motion of the bars the spikes lixed therein carry the ber through the suds or liquor in `the washing-bowl to the ordinary lifting means.

In the accompanying dra \vings,`Figure l represents a side elevation of an ordinary woolwashing machine, with one side of the bowl and trough removed in order to better illustratemyinvention. Fig.2isaplanofthesame, with the sides of the bowl and trough in position. Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of a portion of a bar, showing the direction inwhich the spikes project; and'lig. et is a plan of a few bars, showing the angle the spikes are set at.

The bowl ofthe washing-machine is indicated by theletterA, and is of ordinary construction, as are also the feeding-apron B and squeezingrollers U and C', to which motion is communicatedintheordinarymanner. iVilhinthebowl A, Iplace atrough, D, extending the length of the said bowl and resting upon a number of carrying-plates, E, that are secured to the sides of the aforesaid bowl. Upon these plates E, and within the trough, are placed a series of bars, F andG, having spikes fixed thereto projecting forward toward the squecz'ng-rollers, and at such an angle sidewisel that the points of the same,\while they clear each other, are sufficiently near .to enable the spikes on the forward bars to remove the shortest ber from the spikes of the receding bars. These spikes are shown at I1" and G in detailed drawings, Figs. 3 and 4.

The ber to be washed is fed onto the ordinary feeding-apron, B, which, traveling in the direction of arrow, delivers the same into end of trough D within the washing-bowl and becomes immersed in the suds containedtherein spikes, and thus preventing the ber floating I on the surface of the suds.

The advantages of my arrangement of feedbars along the bottom of the trough, in place of the ordinary rakes, areV that the lumps of ber are broken up, opened out, and distributed as the wool is passed from one end ofthe trough or washing-bowl to the other in the suds or washingliquor. The Wool is therefore more thoroughly washed and the ber better prepared for the gill-boxes or earding-machines, inasmuch as the ber being opened out, the hairs ofthe ber are more in line with each other, or, in other words, the ber is partly combed while passing through the'snds in the washing-bowl.

Motion to the barsF and Gis obtained in the following manner: On the main shaft Kot'machine Isecure pinion K, which gearsinto wheel K2, mounted on a stud secured to frame of machine. In the side of this revolving wheel I secure a crank-pin, L, which is connected by rod M to lever N, that is secured to shaft N', extending across the machine. To shaft N', I se. cure another lever', P, which is connected by rod P' to another lever, P2. This last-named lever is secured to shaft P3, mounted in journals inside washing-bowl A, and near the opposite end of said shaft is another lever, P4, of

IOO

similar construction. To these levers are attached rods Q and Q', which are also attached to cross-bars S and S. These cross-bars are arranged with a long slot-hole, S2, through which a projection, T, secured to each respective bar passes, so that when the machine isin motion the shaft N will vibrate on its axis, and by means of the rods and levers connected therewith give a reciprocating motion to crossbars S and S', and bars F and G, secured there-` to, by the above-named project-ions T, the spikes F and G alternately carryingtheber forward through the suds-and delivering the same onto elevating-bars R, Which are constructed and actuated in the sa-me manner as those before described, the latter bars delivering the ber to the squeezing-rollers.

I am aware that alternately-reciprocating toothed bars have been heretofore employed to lift the fibers out ofthe washing-liquor to the squeezing-rolls; but this l do not claim.l

I claim as my invention- The combination of the trough of a woolwashing machine with a series of reciprocating toothed bars forming the bottom of the Washing-space, and adapted to feed the ber forward under the liquor in place ofthe ordinary overhead rakes, allsuhstantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereofl have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

, JOHN GLOUGH. Witnesses:

J oHN GlLL, ARTHUR JOSEPH TAYLoR. 

